Railroad-switch



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDWIN GORDON, OF HYDE PARK, MASSACHUSETTS.

RAILROAD-swlTCI-l.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 377,713, dated February 7, 1888.

Application tiled April 25, 1887.

To @ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWIN GORDON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Hyde Park,'in the county of Norfolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain' new and useful Improvements in Railroad-Switches; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and' exact description of the invention, which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The object of my invention is -a railroadswitch so constructed that in case it is misplaced it will be moved into place by the passing train, and thus prevent derailment; and it is an improvement on the invention described in Letters Patent to me, No. 348,006, dated August 24,1886. As in the Letters Patent referred to, I accomplish the switching by the use of two fixed point-rails, each being in connection with a pair of jointed continuous switch-rails and with guard-rails, 'the opposite jointed middle vends .of the switch-rails being connected and firmly held there at gage, the outer ends being fished to fixed track1ails. The switch is set for the main track or siding by a lateral movement of the switch-rails at the point where they are connected.

In the drawings I have shown in Figure l a plan of my improved switch. Fig. 2 is an enlargedpartial section on line y' y', Fig. l. Fig. 3 is an enlarged section on line w x, Fig. 1, the switch-rod, Fig. 1, and connecting-link being left in elevation.v Fig. 4 is an enlarged section on liney y, Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is an enlarged section on line z z, Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is a section on liners m', Fig. 3. Figs. 7, 8, and 9 are enlarged views in detail illustrating the operation of the mechanism for shifting and locking the rails. Fig. 10- is a perspective View of a locked switch-stand and signalends. of the point-rails. Each pair of the movable rails, with one end of' a guard-rail, is fastened together, as described in the said pat-` ent, by placing a block, e, of cast iron or steel about twelve inches long, between the guard.k

rails and the switch-rail ends, the center of the block as to its length being placed opposite to the point where the rail endsv meet. A block of the same length is also placed opposite on the other side of the rail ends, and one opposite on the other side of the guard-rail.- These three blocks conform to the shape of the sides of the rails, except that one of them* is slightly cutaway at an angle from the center, to permit of the required lateral motion of the switchrails. on a line with the bottom of the connected switch-rail ends and the guardrails, and the guard-rails and the several parts, as described, are firmly fastened together by the bolts c c. 'Ihe center block is of vsuch a width as will hold the guard at that point at a distance less than the distance between the point of thev point-rail and the'contiguous switclmail when the switch is open for the main track, as in Fig. 1. The point end of the other point-rail is protected by lying in the angle formed by the contiguous switch-rail, and is outside the running line, as shown in said gure. The conditions,thus preventing the wheel-flanges from coming in dangerous contact with the point,4

ends, are reversed when the switch is thrown in connection with a branch track or siding.

These connected parts rest upon the bar s,f'

The two outside blocks have a bearing Fig. 1,pivoted at g, and which` is there held` construction of which is illustrated by the section shown in Fig. 2.

h h are .pieces of iron, so made and secured as to prevent the cross-piece from getting out of place. The switch-bar f is connected at one end to a hand-lever, g', Fig. 10, pivoted.

through a boss in the fixed bar r', and is secured to the parallel link 'v'. The link os connected with the bar s by means of the pin t', which passes through a boss in the bar s', which pin is secured to the link o', as shown. The width of the bar 1" and bar s corresponds with the width of the space between the parallel links.

It will be seen that when the switch-rodf, Fig. l, is moved from the position there shown, to shift the switch from the main to the branch track, theconnected links o and v are pulled over or turned on the pivot g' and left in the act of turning one end ofthe bar s half an inch from the fixed bar r', (see Fig. 7, showing the position ofthe bar s',) with throw halfmade, and completing the throw. The switch-bar, in connection with the link o, is shown in Fig. 9. Thus it will be seen that there can be no lateral movement of the switch-t'. e., it cannot be thrown from the main track onto the brauch track or back onto the main track without at the same time lifting one end of the bar s', as described. Consequently nolatera-l movement is possible when a train is passing.

Another feature in my invention is that if the switch should not be fully thrown the weight of the locomotive will force down the bar s and thus complete the throw.

The switch being open forthe main track,

the wheel-flanges will not come in contact with the cross-piece h, as there is then a clear space between the hee1-connection of the point-rail C and the contiguous end of the cross-piece h. If, however, a train cornes from the branch track, the switch being set for the main line, the first wheel-Hange will come in contact with the cross-piece at a' and impart a lateral motion, thus giving, through the lever f, the required motion to the switch-bar, as before described, andthe switch is thus shifted into connection with the siding. Being thus left misplaced for the main track, a train coming along in the same direction on the main track, the first wheeltlange will come in contact with the crosspiece h, Fig. 1, at a, and impart the required lateral movement, and then, through the lever f, the switch-bar is moved and the track is open for the train. As the switch is thrown by hand, the crosspiece, through the lever-connection with the switch-bar, is moved so as to be acted upon automatically when the switch is misplaced either for the main line or for the branch track by trains passing in the direction off the points not toward them.

What I claim ,and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a railroad switch, the continuous switch-rails A A2 A, the blocks e e, the bolts c, the guard-rails D, the bar s' and bar r', links o and t', the pivot q, and bolt t', stud p', and switch-bar f', in combination with the fixed point-rails C C', substantially as and for the purpose above described.

2. In a railroad-switch, the continuous rails A A2 A, blocks e e, bolts c, guard-rails D, bars 3 and r', links o' and v', pivot q', and bolt t', in combination with the device for automatically moving the continuous switch-rails, consisting of the lever f and the cross-piece h and the piece h', substantially as and for the purpose above described.

EDWIN GORDON. ftnessesz Guns. H. DREW, EsTELLA BARRY.

Correction in A4Letters Patent. No.,377713.A

Itis hereby certified that in `Letters Patent No. 377,713, granted February7, 1888, upon the application of Edwin Gordon, of Hyde Park, Massachusetts, for an improvement in Railroad Switches,"7 an error yappears in the printed speciioation requiring correction, as follows: In line 32, page 2, the parenthetieal mark after the reference letter s 7 Should be stricken out and the same inserted after the Word made at the end of said line; and the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the lrecord of the casein the Patent Office.

' Signed, countersigned, and sealed this 12th day of March, A. D. 1889.

D. L. HAWKINS, Assistant Secretary of the Interior.

[SEAL-i Countersigned:

BENTON J. HALL,

Commissioner of Patents. 

